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Magazine Review: Liveblogging Dolly April 2011

Just for something new, this month my review will be my first opinions on the issue, written as I’m reading it for the first time.

Cover: Katy Perry is covergirl this month, and I guess it’s fitting as she’s touring here and they have a competition to meet her, but I don’t know, something about the whole thing just doesn’t work for me.

Behind The Scenes:

Excited to see I’ll be at Dolly for their first ever Dolly Respect Day in April. Hope I get to go and check it out!

Loving the “That’s What Friends Are For” page, where the Dolly girls share who their closest friends are

Features:

“The Day My Life Changed” looks at three girls, one who had cancer, one who found out she was pregnant and one who got kicked out of school, and how those events changed their lives. Nothing overly groundbreaking but their stories are inspiring.

“Welcome to Shamesville. Population: You” is four embarrassing situations and what to do/say when they happen to you. We all have super embarrassing/awkward moments, and these tips may make surviving them just the little bit easier.

“16 Things We Wish We’d Known At 16” gives us three Aussie celebs and their tips on what they wish they could say to their 16 year old self. My favourites? Jane Gazzo with “Nobody will truly love you until you love yourself” and Hannah Marshall with “Enjoy being a kid, don’t grow up too fast – there’s plenty of time to act like an adult”.

Guy Town:

I’ve never watched ‘Totally Wild’ but the interview with teen hosts Josh and Kale is a cute read and they come across as rather awesome guys. Kale gets bonus points for wanting to date a mixture of Hermione Granger and Emma Watson.

Friends:

“The Friendship Files” tells us how to mend a broken friend, the golden rules of friendship (“Competition is for athletes, race horses and Golden Globe nominees. BFFs not included”), friend dates, a quiz on whether you’ll stay friends forever, unexpected ways to show your friend you heart her and how to break up with a friend. Pretty much every base covered to be the best friend ever. Also, I totally wish I was part of the Tsweezy/Emma Stone friendship. Those girls rock.

Life:

“Girls Who Beat Boys” is an abusive relationship story with a difference. This time the girls are the abusive ones. It’s an interesting read as you never really think about the flipside of the coin.

“Pressure Point” is part of Dolly’s new School Handbook and deals with, well, pressure. As someone in the early weeks of Year Eleven I can already tell I’ll be needing their helpful hints (“eat breakfast”, “breathe”, “go for a walk”) before the year is over.

“To Spill Or Not To Spill” gives us seven sitches (“He’s your first boyfriend”, “You’re jealous of your friend’s popularity”) and whether we should open up or keep what we’re thinking to ourselves. Most are simple Think Before You Speak kind of things, but it’s part of Dolly’s new Respect: Give It, Get It, Expect It campaign, so props to them for that.

“Help! My Family Are Ruining My Life” is something everyone can relate to. From Protective Parents to Embarrassing Brothers (and fathers!) Dolly helps us deal with every family sitch that leaves you never wanting to be seen with them again. With a father who used to come and yell at my friends and I at sleepovers in his pajamas when we stayed up too late (which you know, doesn’t sound too bad, until you remember that at this time he was our principal and nobody wants to see their principal in his boxers) or say the most embarrassing things on school assembly, I’ll definitely be using some of the tips.

And Finally:

“Oh Snap!” gives us eight of the best April Fool’s pranks of all time. Laughs guaranteed.

My Opinion:Rating – 6/10 I’ll be honest, the issue wasn’t the most brilliant ever, but it did have a few good reads. It’s out on Wednesday and if you’re really after something to read, get it, but if you just buy it for the ‘life-sized Justin Bieber poster’ that comes in the poster-book freebie, I will never speak to you again. Price – $7.95(ah, remember the good old days when mags were $5 – or less!) frangipani princess xoxops. I don’t think this was the most amazing review ever, so pretty sure this style will be a one time thing